Chargers linebacker Denzel Perryman is expected to play in his first regular-season game of the season this weekend in Jacksonville. (Photo by Harry Howe, Getty Images)

COSTA MESA — Denzel Perryman has waited long enough.

Three months ago, the Chargers linebacker planted awkwardly on the StubHub Center grass, tearing a ligament in his left ankle on just his seventh snap of the preseason. Days later, he underwent surgery, the first such operation of his football career. This Sunday in Jacksonville, he will finally suit up for a regular-season game.

“It’s been rough,” Perryman said Wednesday. “I ain’t gonna lie, man.”

The Chargers (3-5) had activated him from injured reserve just one day earlier, officially clearing the way for a season debut that the 5-foot-11, 240-pound defender had been eyeing for weeks. Perryman began rehabbing his ankle two or three weeks after his surgery, and by late September, Chargers coach Anthony Lynn had seen enough to declare him “ahead of schedule.”

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Perryman said he felt healthy enough to play against Denver on Oct. 22, following his first week of practices with the rest of the team. But the Chargers had placed him on injured reserve in early September, which rendered him ineligible to appear in a game until he sat out at least eight weeks. That coincided with the Chargers’ bye – setting up his debut this Sunday against the Jaguars (5-3) at EverBank Field.

His family helped him cope with the delay.

“My daughter used to tell me every time, ‘Daddy, be careful with your leg. Be careful with your leg,'” Perryman said. “That just took my mind off the injury, period.”

His team is eager to welcome him back. Last week, defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said the Chargers’ self-scouting of their run defense has been “brutal” – hardly a surprise given that the unit has surrendered 1,081 rushing yards this season, fifth-most in the league.

A second-round pick out of Miami, Perryman entered the league as a hard-hitting run stopper. Cognizant of his own strengths, he noted Wednesday that the Jaguars’ backfield rotation – led by rookie Leonard Fournette’s 596 yards and six touchdowns – represent a good challenge for him to open his third season.

The Chargers will be careful not to rush him back too quickly. They will start him at weakside linebacker this Sunday, keeping third-year pro Hayes Pullard in the middle of the defense. The team may also keep Perryman on a snap count, depending on how he looks through the rest of this week’s practices.

“You don’t want to just throw a guy back in there after eight weeks,” Lynn said. “But he’s definitely going to help bring a little fire to that position.”

Added Perryman: “I bring a little spark to the defense.”

Although the linebacker has kept himself in top physical shape, he still acknowledged that conditioning workouts don’t fully replicate the stress of real football. The adjustment should be a quick one.

“I may be a little winded for maybe a day,” Perryman said. “I give it a day.”

REAL RECOGNIZE REAL

“Oh man, he’s special,” Campbell said of his Chargers’ counterpart. “You know, he’s a technician, he plays with a motor – high, high motor – he loves the game of football. You’ve got to love watching guys like that.”

Bosa has already made NFL history this year, becoming the first player to record 19 sacks in his first 20 games. He and teammate Melvin Ingram are tied for fifth in the league with 8.5 sacks each.

Campbell, meanwhile, has helped transform the Jaguars into the NFL’s top defense – anchoring a unit that became the first to log double-digit sacks in multiple games since the 1984 Chicago Bears. The 31-year-old might even have an outside shot at the single-season sacks record of 22.5, set by Michael Strahan in 2001.

INJURY REPORT

Right tackle Joe Barksdale was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice, his first time working with teammates in more than three weeks. Barksdale has been playing through turf toe since the preseason, an injury that has forced him to miss three games this fall.

Michael Schofield, a former third-round pick whom the Chargers claimed off waivers earlier this year, has started in Barksdale’s stead.

Perryman remains listed on the injury report, but was also a full participant. Pullard and center Spencer Pulley were limited Wednesday with neck and knee injuries, respectively.